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This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below 


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"^     1928 
WOV  2  2  J928 


AUG  2      13'2b 


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^flW  3     I93y 

OCT  \  '  WS 

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OCT  1 4  RECD 


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MAY  1  3  19^ 
AUG  2  5 

MAY  V 

Form  L-9-15m-8,'24 


I' 


LOS  ANGELES 
STATE  NORMAL  SCHOO' 


UNEMPLOYMENT  AND   FEEBLE  -  MINDEDNESS 

BY 

GLENN  R.  JOHNSON 


[Note:  These  reprints  are  sent  to  subscribers  because  of  certain  errors 
in  Mr.  Johnson's  article,  as  originally  printed.  Through  an  unfortunate 
circumstance,  two  of  the  misplaced  lines  appeared  in  Dr.  Pintner's 
review,  page  99,  lines  18  and  19.     These  should  be  deleted.] 


REPRINTED  FROM  THE  JOURNAL  OF  DELINQUENCY 
VOLUME  2,  NO.  2,  MARCH   1917 


33112 


\.  ^  LOS  ANGELES 

^  STATE  NORMAL  SCHOOi 


UNEMPLOYMENT  AND  FEEBLE-MINDEDNESS 

GLENN   R.  JOHNSON* 

Columbia  University 

This  paper  is  based  on  a  psychological  study  of  unemplDyment 
its  relation  to  feeble-mindedness.  The  Stanford  revision  of  the  Jiinet- 
Simon  Scale  and  five  Reed  College  tests  have  been  applied  to  107 
destitute  unemployed  men  picked  at  random  from  among  the  unem- 
ployed in  Portland,  Oregon,  during  the  unemployment  season  of 
1914-15.     The  tests  were  supplemented  by  a  questionnaire. 

Industrial  conditions  on  the  Pacific  Coast  are  not  conducive  to 
steady  employment.  The  unemployment  problem  is  one  of  seasonal 
industry.  Fruit  and  grains  ripen  early  in  Southern  California.  As  the 
season  advances  the  crops  to  the  north  gradually  mature.  Casual  la- 
borers migrate  to  the  north  in  search  of  continuous  employment.  In 
October,  the  last  of  the  harvests  are  gathered  in  Washington.  In  the 
vrinter  months  there  is  very  little  work  to  be  obtained  in  the  coun- 
try districts,  consequently,  thousands  of  men  congregate  in  the  larger 
cities,  where  few  can  be  employed.  In  addition  to  these  casual  work- 
ers, there  is  a  large  increment  of  loggers  and  sawmill  hands  who  are 
forced  into  idleness  owing  to  the  shutting  down  of  the  timber  industry 
due  to  unfavorable  weather  conditions. 

Some  of  these  men  have  saved  enough  money  to  tide  them  through 
the  winter.  Others  have  not  been  able  to  save  enough  to  main- 
tain themselves  in  idleness  for  many  months.  Still  others  have 
squandered  their  money  in  gambling  and  drinking  and  have  thert 
by  become  destitute.  Mingled  among  these  men  are  numerous  pro 
fessional  beggars   and   tramps   and   physical   and  mental   defectives 

The  men  mentioned  above  congregate  in  the  slums  of  the  various 
coast  cities.  Their  usual  environments  have  been  sucn  as  to  make 
them  seek  the  company  commonly  found  in  saloons  or  cheap  lodging 
houses.  One  of  these  men  may  come  to  town  with  the  best  of  in- 
tentions to  live  within  his  means  and  remain  sober.     But  the  only 


*Formerly  associated  with  Dr.  Eleanor  Rowland,  Reed  College. 

(59) 


fiO  The   Joiirncil   of    Delinquency 

places  wIkti'  Ik-  is  wcIcoi'hmI  arc  tlu;  tt'iuliTloiii  resorts.  He  has  no 
iiicliimtioii  lO  go  lo  cliurcli,  n-iitl  at  tlie  library,  or  mix  witli  local  social 
groups.  Most  of  these  meii  are  imt  very  well  educated,  are  poorly  clad, 
do  not  have  much  money,  and  are  not  sanguine  of  the  future.  They 
are  not  welconuMl  among  the  so  called  better  social  groups  and  are 
too  proud  to  accept  the  hosi)itality  of  those  who  are  inclined  to  be 
condescending.  Comi)liauce  with  the  rules  of  charitable  social  centers 
require  too  much  inhibition.  Besides,  there  are  too  few  of  these  places. 
Saloons  are  the  most  enticing  lounging  places.  With  a  few  drinks 
all  good  intentions  are  thrown  to  the  four  winds,  and  destitution 
comes  quickly. 

During  several  winter  seasons,  the  writer  mingled  among  the  un- 
employed men  gathered  in  the  slums  of  Portland,  Oi'egon.  It  wa« 
observed  that  many  of  the  unemployed  men  seemed  stupid  or  feeble- 
minded. It  was  pretty  certain  that  some  were  actually  feeble-minded, 
out  it  was  impossible  to  determine  from  casual  observation  what  per- 
centage were  defective. 

I  Mental  defectiveness  among  vagrant  women  indicates  that  feeble- 
mindedness is  associated  with  the  problem  of  unemployment  as  well. 
Psychological  tests  given  to  women  detained  in  houses  of  correction 
have  established  the  startling  fact  that  from  25  per  cent  to  50  per 
cent  are  feeble-minded.  Dr.  Davis  of  the  Bedford  Reformatory  for 
Women  has  found  that  out  of  647  cases  there  were  20  of  insanity,  107 
of  feeble-mindedness,  and  193  of  mental  defectiveness  according  to  the 
Binet  mental  tests.  Thus,  320  or  about  50  per  cent  were  mentally  de- 
fective. Other  pyschological  investigations  seem  to  indicate  that  these 
percentages  of  feeble-mindedness  hold  for  the  prostitute  class  as  a 
whole. 

The  Portland,  Oregon,  Vice  Commission,  after  a  thorough  investi- 
gation, reported  that  there  were  in  Portland  approxnnately  2,500 
prostitutes.  If  25  to  50  per  cent  of  these  women  were  mentally  de- 
fective, then  there  were  in  Portland  625  to  1,250  who  were  feeble- 
minded. If  this  is  true  for  the  women  of  this  class,  U  is  to  be  ex- 
pected from  the  knowledge  we  have  of  biology,  that  there  is  a  similar 
number  of  feeble-minded  men  in  the  same  population.  The  factors 
making  for  normality  or  abnormality  are  to  be  found  in  the  germ  cells. 
One  chance  out  of  two  or  fifty  chances  out  of  one  hundred  the  germ 
cells  develop  into  the  male  sex.    Since  feeble-mindedness  is  hereditary 


Unemployment  and  Feeble-Mindedness  61 

and  follows  the  Mendelian  laws  of  inheritance*,  one  would  expect  to 
tind  the  same  number  of  feeble-minded  men  with  the  mental  traits 
of  feeble-minded  prostitutes. 

Where  there  is  stagnation  in  labor  conditions,  one  would  expect 
that  the  first  ones  to  be  thrown  out  of  employment  would  be  those  who 
were  mentally  backward,  and  who  were  working  on  the  margin  of 
productivity.  Those  who  are  mentally  inferior  could  not  hold  their 
positions  when  in  competition  with  more  intelligent  people.  Those  who 
are  out  of  work  in  the  largest  numbers  are  the  ones  who  follow  un- 
skilled or  seasonal  occupations.  Men  who  are  mentally  inferior  would 
follow  such  occupations  and  hence  be  the  first  to  be  thrown  out  of 
employment  when  business  conditions  become  slack.  Their  earnings 
would  not  be  large  and  besides,  they  would  not  be  apt  to  manage  the 
expenditure  of  the  earnings  properly.  Therefore,  the  ^ntally  back- 
ward men  would  be  among  those  who  are  likely  to  be  destitute  during 
the  unemployment  season. 

In  the  winter  of  1914-15,  Portland  maintained  two  large  head- 
quarters for  destitute  men.  One  of  these  places  was  a  large  old- 
fashioned  abandoned  lodging  house  in  the  North  End  or  slum  district 
of  the  city.  The  city  paid  a  nominal  sum  for  rent.  The  750  men  who 
sought  refuge  there  co-operated  in  order  to  live  as  cheaply  as  pos- 
sible. Benevolent  citizens  supplied  them  with  flour  and  other  pn«- 
visions ;  but  the  supply  of  provisions  was  extremely  meager.  There 
were  less  than  twenty  beds  in  the  house,  so  most  of  the  men  had  to 
sleep  on  bare  floors.  As  a  rule,  these  men  were  independent.  They 
scorned  condescending  philanthrophy.  Many  of  the  men  Avere  In- 
dustrial Workers  of  the  World  and  Socialists.  Tlie  otlier  municipal 
lodging  h^use  was  located  in  a  large  old  racant  laundry  building 
on  the  East  Portland  water  front.  Rough  bunks  were  constructed 
for  the  men,  A  wood  yard  was  operated  in  connection.  The  men 
worked  up  rafts  of  logs  into  salal)le  cord  wood  which  was  sold  by  the 
city  in  order  to  pay  expenses.  Meals  were  supplied  to  those  men  who 
presented  meal  checks  given  to  them  for  working  in  the  Avood  yard. 
On  the  average,  620  men  found  daily  refuge  and  lodging  in  this  place. 

There  were  numerous  othei"  places  where  .destitute  unemployed 
men  gathered.  The  Associated  Charities  looked  after  rlie  welfare  of 
450  men;  Jewish  and  Catholic  organizations  provided  for  350  men; 
the  Salvation  Army  lodging  house  and  other  private  benevolent  insti- 
tutions quartered  about  400  each  night;  The  Married  Workers'  Asso- 


•H.  H.  Goddard,     Feeble-Mindedness,  pp.  547,  533  et  seq. 


i]2  The  Journal  of    Delinquency 

ciation  ciinillcl  (i.')!).  On  April  IT),  llil,"),  1  list<'(l  iJ.filO  dfcrtiitute  unem- 
pluyeil  iin'ii  (lunrU'i't'd  at  tlic  al)ove  imiiMMl  places,  lu  udditioii  to  this 
iimnhor  tliero  were  many  huiidred  others  wlio  were  staying  at  cheap 
iodt^'ing  houses,  walicing  the  streets,  or  wlio  were  being  cared  for  by 
friends.  On  any  given  night  during  tiie  unemployment  season,  there 
were  proljably  more  than  5,000  idle  destitute  men  in  Portland. 

The  Stanford  Revision  of  the  Binet  Scale  was  selected  as  com- 
prising the  best  mental  tests.  The  Binet  tests  have  beT»n  modified  in 
order  to  meet  the  requirements  called  for  by  extensive  empirical 
studies.  Tests  for  average  adults  and  superior  adults  have  been  added. 
The  range  of  the  mental  tests  is  between  three  years  and  nineteen 
years  mental  ages.  The  sixteen  year  level  approximates  average  adult 
intelligence.  The  eighteen  year  level  is  that  of  superior  adult  in- 
telligeuee. 

In  addition  to  the  Binet  Scale  five  tests  given  to  249  Reed  College 
students  were  used.  One  of  these  tests  was  for  logical  memory,  an- 
other for  attention,  and  three  for  suggestibility.  The  tests  were  sup- 
plemented by  a  questionnaire  in  order  to  bring  out  various  factors 
of  environment  and  heredity. 

The  tests  were  given  to  the  men  in  a  secluded  room  of  a  business 
building  in  the  central  part  of  the  city.  Few  people  or  noises  in- 
terfered with  the  rapport  of  the  subjects.  Men  were  selected  at  ran- 
dom, and  great  care  was  taken  so  that  the  group  tested  would  be  a 
typical  non-selected  group  of  the  destitute  unemployed  men  as  a  whole. 
Foreigners  other  than  English  speaking  people  w^ere  eliminated.  All 
men  who  submitted  to  the  tests  were  rewarded  with  money,  meal 
tickets,  or  useful  articles.  With  few  exceptions,  the  men  submitted 
to  the  tests  gracefully  and  seemingly  performed  to  the  best  of  their 
abilities.  There  was  only  one  man  who  did  not  try  to  do  his  best.  But 
even  this  man  tried  to  do  as  well  as  he  could  for  the  major  portions  of 
the  tests.  Two  other  men  refused  to  take  the  tests  when  they  learned 
the  nature  of  them. 

The  time  required  to  give  the  tests  ranged  from  one  hour  and 
fifteen  minutes  to  two  hours  and  a  half.  The  usual  time  was  about 
two  hours.  The  Stanford  Revision  tests  required  from  an  hour  to 
one  and  one-half  hours,  the  usual  time  being  about  one  and  one- 
quarter  hours.  The  Reed  College  tests  took  from  fifteen  to  thirty  min- 
utes.    The  questionnaire  required  about  fifteen  minutes  or  less. 


Unemployment  and  Feeble-Mindedness  63 

107  men  were  selected  at  random  from  the  following 
places:  The  Associated  Charities,  the  Old  Troy  Laundry,  the  Unem- 
ployment Union,  the  Portland  Commons,  and  the  city  employment 
bureau.  The  places  from  whence  the  men  came  and  their  numbers 
are  as  follows : 

The  Commons  12  Cases   Troy  Laundry 31  Cases 

Unemployment  Union  ......  29  Cases   City  Emp.  Bureau 9  Cases 

Associated  Charities  26  Cases 

Those  who  came  from  the  Commons  tested  the  highest.  Then  came  in 
order  the  Unemployed  Union,  Troy  Laundry,  City  Employment 
Bureau,  and  the  Associated  Charities. 

The  average  age  was  33  years,  9  months.  The  average  mental  age 
was  14  years,  5  months.  The  median  mental  age  wus  14  years,  7 
months. 

The  average  ages  and  mental  ages  of  the  men  from  the  various 
places  are  shown  in  the  following  table : 

No.  Av.  Age  Av.  Mental  Age 

Commons   12  38  Yrs.     9  Mo.         15  Yrs.  8  i\lo. 

Unemployed  Union  29  30  Yrs.     4  Mo.         15  Yrs.  7  Mo. 

Troy  Laundry  31  33  Yrs.  10  ]\Io.         14  Yrs.  7  Mo. 

City  Emp.  Bu 9  32  Yrs.  13  Yrs.  6  Mo. 

Asso.  Charities   26  34  Yrs.  13  Yrs.  3  Mo. 

107        33  Yrs.     9  Mo.        14  Yrs.  5  Mo. 

The  following  table  shows  the  number  of  men  according  to  age 
and  those  in  each  group  who  tested  high  and  low.  Those  who  tested 
under  the  median  of  14  years,  7  months,  are  considered  low  and  those 
who  tested  above  that  age,  high. 

No.  High  Low 

Under  20 5  3  2 

20-29  36  17  19 

30-39 35  17  18 

40-49  „...„ - 23  12  11 

50   and   over   _ _ _..._    8  3  5 

Total   107  52  55 


64  The  Journal  of   Delinquency 

l\n\v  nicM  or  nO  ptT  t-ciit  of  those  over  50  years  of  age  tested  under  12 
yi'jir    nieiitiil    at,'e    and    are    prol)al)ly  feel)le-minded. 

The  followiiig  table  shows  lliu  imiiilxT  of  uum  from  the  varioua 
places  who  tested  average  adult  or  siii)C'rior  udult: 

No.  Per  Cent 

Commons  f'»  ^0 

Unemployment  Union  12  41 

Troy  Laundry  8  26 

Asso.   Charities   3  12 

City  Emp.  Bureau  1  11 

Total 30  28 

If  those  adults  who  test  less  than  twelve  years  mental  age  are 
considered  to  be  feeble-minded,  then  there  were  at  the  various  places 
the  percentages  shown  in  the  following  table : 

No.  Cases 

Commons  _ _ 1 2 

Tnein ployed  Union 29 

Troy  Laundry  _ 31 

City  Emp.  Bureau 9 

Asso.   Charities   _ - 26 

Total - _ 107  19  18 

If  under  13  yea.'s  mental  age  is  considered  feeble-mindedness, 
then  the  following  table  will  show^  the  degree  of  mental  defectiveness : 


No.  Cases 

Commons  12 

Unemployed   Union   _ 29 

Troy  Laundry  31 

City  Emp.  Bureau 9 

Asso.  Charities  _ 26 

Total  ™ 107  28  26 


elow  12 

Per  Cent  of  Total 

1 

8 

0 

0 

7 

23 

2 

22 

9 

35 

Below  13 

Per  cent 

1 

8 

2 

7 

11 

36 

2 

22 

12 

46 

Unemployment  and  Feeble-Mindedness  65 

If  under  14  years  mental  age  is  considered  mental  backwardness 
then  the  following  table  shows  the  extent  of  backwardness : 

No.  Cases 

Commons  .„ _ _  12 

Unemployed   Union    29 

Troy  Laundry „ 31 

City   Emp.   Bureau   9 

Asso.   Charities   _ _. ...  26 


Below  14 

Per  Cent 

3 

25 

10 

34 

12 

39 

4 

44 

16 

62 

107  45  42 

If  under  14  years  mental  age  is  the  low  adult  level  as  Professor 
Terman  is  led  to  consider  by  his  tests  of  uneducated  working  people, 
then  there  are  among  those  I  have  tested,  63,  or  58  per  cent  who  are 
low  and  superior  adults  in  intelligence. 

The  results  of  these  tests  have  been  measured  quantatively.  It 
will  be  noted  that  most  of  the  questions  referred  to  in  the  following 
pages  are  questions  of  association.  For  instance,  the  question  whether 
those  who  pass  high  tests  have  better  vocabularies  than  those  who  pass 
low  tests  is  a  matter  of  association.  Are  high  tests  associated  with 
large  vocabularies?  If  this  is  true  then  there  is  a  relation  or  associa- 
tion between  high  tests  and  large  vocabularies. 

High  tests  were  correlated  with  the  following  factors : 


1. 

Large  vocabularies. 

2. 

Jobs  requiring  high  intelligence. 

3. 

Good  logical  memory. 

4. 

Good  education. 

5. 

High  suggestibility   (line  test). 

6. 

High  suggestibility  (weight). 

7. 

High  suggestibility  (weight). 

8. 

Wildness  in  youth. 

9. 

Good  attention. 

10. 

Long  jobs. 

Since  the  median  mental  age  was  14  years,  7  months,  all  who  are 
above  that  age  are  considered  as  having  passed  high  tests.  Those  be- 


66  The  Journal  of  Delinquency 

low  thai  iiH'iital  age  are  designated  as  having  passed  low  tests.  With 
the  exception  of  the  faetor  of  wildness  in  youth,  the  median  was  as- 
sumed to  he  the  dividing  line  lietvveen  "high"  and  "low". 

The  correlation  between  high  tests  and  large  vocabularies  is  plus 
O.nS,  with  a  i)r()l)al)le  error  of  0.14  (107  eases  examined).  The  median 
nuinher  of  words  delined  was  56  of  the  representative  list  of  100. 
This  number  represents  a  vocabulary  of  10,080  words.  Among  the  54 
men  who  passed  high  tests,  45  men  explained  the  meaning  of  more  than 
56  worils  whereas  9  men  explained  less  than  56  words.  Among  the  5.'i 
men  who  tested  under  the  median  mental  age,  8  explained  more  than  56 
words  and  45  men  explained  less  than  56  words. 

Tlie  correlation  between  high  tests  and  high  intelligence  jobs  was 
plus  0.5G,  with  a  probable  error  of  0.17.  The  question  regarding  jobs 
was  answered  by  96  men.  Among  these,  45  tested  high  and  51  tested 
low.  Of  the  45  who  tested  high,  34  had  worked  at  jobs  requiring  high 
intelligence  while  11  had  worked  at  jobs  requiring  low  intelligence 
only.  Among  the  51  who  tested  low,  10  had  worked  at  jobs  requiring 
high  intelligence,  whereas  41  had  worked  at  jobs  requiring  low  intelli- 
gence only. 

The  correlation  between  high  mental  tests  and  good  logical  mem- 
ory was  plus  0.42  with  a  probable  error  of  0.20  (86  cases)  47  of  these 
men  tested  high  and  39  tested  low.  Of  the  47  who  tested  above  the 
median,  33  had  good  logical  memory  while  14  had  poor  logical  memory. 
Of  the  39  men  who  tested  low,  11  had  good  logical  memory  while  28  had 
poor  logical  memory.  This  test  is  based  on  a  short  narrative  in  which 
ten  ideas  are  logically  connected.  The  story  was  read  twice  to  each 
subject  w^ho  was  then  asked  to  repeat  as  many  points  as  he  could  re- 
member. If  the  subject  could  remember  all  points,  he  was  given  a 
score  of  10.  If  he  could  remember  nothing  lie  was  scored  0.  The  median 
was  4. 

The  same  test  was  given  to  249  Reed  College  students.  The  median 
was  7.  Four-tenths  of  one  per  cent  of  Reed  College  students  gave  two 
or  less  than  two  memories  whereas  35  per  cent  of  the  unemployed  men 
gave  two  or  less  than  two  memories.  Six  per  cent  of  Reed  College 
students  remembered  four  or  less  than  four  points  whereas  55  per  cent 
of  the  unemployed  men  remembered  four  or  less  than  Tour  points. 

The  correlation  between  high  tests  and  good  education  was  plus 
0.23  with  a  probable  error  of  0.19.     The  correlation  is  0.00  when  the 


Unemployment  and   Feehle-Mindedness  ^7 

in  Portland.  Out  of  the  107  men  tested  there  were  19  who  were  under 
feeble-minded  cases  are  eliminated.  All  of  the  feeble-minded  subjects 
failed  to  reach  the  higher  grammar  school  grades  in  spite  of  the  fact 
that  several  attended  school  until  manhood.  Ninety-seven  men  stated  the 
extent  of  their  formal  education.  Forty-nine  of  these  passed  high  tests 
and  48  low  tests.  Among  those  who  were  above  the  median  in  intelli- 
gence, 30  were  above  and  19  below  the  median  in  education.  Of  those 
who  were  below  the  median  of  intelligence,  18  were  above  and  30  below 
the  median  of  education. 

The  correlation  between  high  mental  and  high  suggestibility  tests 
in  the  line  suggestibility  test  was  minus  0.18  with  a  probable  error  of 
0.21.  In  other  words,  there  was  a  positive  correlation  between  low 
mental  tests  and  high  suggestibility.  Eighty-three  men  took  this  test. 
Forty -four  of  these  passed  high  and  39  passed  low  mental  tests.  Of  those 
who  tested  high,  18  were  above  and  26  below  the  median  in  suggesti- 
bility. Of  those  who  tested  low  23  were  above  and  16  below  the  median 
of  suggestibility. 

In  the  second  weight  suggestion  test  there  was  a  correlation  of 
minus  0.01  between  high  mental  tests  and  high  suggestibility,  with  a 
probable  error  of  0.21.  Ninety-one  men  took  this  test,  of  whom  48  were 
above  and  43  below  the  intelligence  median.  Of  the  48  who  were  above 
the  intelligence  median,  24  were  above  and  24  below  the  median  of  sug- 
gestibility. Of  the  43  below  the  intelligence  median,  22  were  above 
and  21  below  the  median  of  suggestibility. 

There  was  a  correlation  of  minus  0.16  between  high  performance  in 
mental  tests  and  high  suggestibility  in  the  test  with  weight  sugges- 
tion blocks.  The  probable  error  is  0.15.  Ninety  men  took  this  test,  of 
the  46  above  the  intelligence  median,  19  were  high  and  27  low  in  sug- 
gestibility. Among  the  44  below  the  intelligence  median,  25  were  high 
and  19  low  in  suggestibility. 

The  correlation  between  high  mental  tests  and  good  attention 
was  plus  0.20  with  a  probable  error  of  0.21.  Eighty-two  men  took  the 
test.  Of  these,  42  were  above  and  40  below  the  median  of  intelligence. 
Of  the  42  above  the  intelligence  median,  25  were  above  and  17  below 
the  attention  median.  The  same  test  was  given  to  249  Reed  College  stu- 
dents. Only  six  unemployed  men  made  better  records  in  the  attention 
test  than  the  median  attention  of  the  college  students.  Thus,  only  7 
per  cent  of  the  unemployed  men  showed  better  attention  aliility  than 
the  lower  half  of  the  college  group. 


G8  T/ic  Journal   of    Delinquency 

Thfi  eorrclatioii  bi-twccn  lii^'li  test  perfonnaiu'c  and  parental  care  in 
youth  was  pins  0.04  uilli  a  jtrohahlo  error  of  O.HJ.  Ninety-four  men 
answered  I  lie  (jueslioM  in  re^';ird  to  wildness  in  youth.  Forty-nine  of 
these  passed  hij;h  tests  and  4")  passed  low.  Of  the  41)  above  the  intelli- 
gence median,  27  did  not  and  22  did  run  wild  as  boys. 

01"  !)7  men,  'M,  or  38  per  cent  had  trades.  Of  the  24  who  tested  the 
lowest  there  were  7  who  learned  trades.  As  a  I'ule,  the  men  started  to 
work  at  early  ages. 

The  reasons  given  for  coming  west  were  of  the  usual  nature.  Some 
wanted  to  better  tiieir  conditions,  others  had  heard  the  west  advertised, 
and  others  "just  wanted  to  see  the  country". 

A  large  percentage  of  the  men  had  accepted  charity  of  various 
sorts,  but  there  were  others  who  said  they  never  accepted  free  help. 

The  men  as  a  wdiole  had  dissipated  a  great  deal.  Nearly  all  the 
men  were  victims  of  some  of  the  usual  vices.  Eighty  per  cent  of  the 
men  admitted  visiting  prostitutes. 

Very  few  of  the  men  stated  that  their  parents  or  relatives  had  been 
in  insane,  feeble-minded,  or  other  kinds  of  institutions.  They  seemed 
rather  shy  in  ansAvering  questions  having  to  do  with  inherited  defects 
in  their  parents  or  relatives.  In  this  respect,  the  questions  concerning 
heredity  were  of  little  value. 

Among  the  fathers  of  the  unemployed  men  who  were  tested,  55  had 
skilled  trades  or  professions,  and  33  were  unskilled.  Seventeen  of  the 
men  testing  below  the  median  had  fathers  who  were  not  skilled  in  any 
occupation.  Nineteen  men  did  not  answer  the  question  concerning  the 
occupation  of  the  father.  Of  twelve  men  passing  the  lowest  tests,  11 
had  fathers  who  were  common  laborers  or  otherwise  unskilled,  and  the 
father  of  the  twelfth  man  was  insane. 

Dissipation  did  not  seem  to  affect  the  efficiency  of  some  of  the  men. 
A  few  of  them  who  tested  superior  adults  were  victims  of  extreme 
dissipation.  Thus,  environment  in  some  cases  did  not  seem  to  affect 
the  intelligence.  Of  course,  there  was  no  way  to  show  that  if  cer- 
tain men  had  not  been  in  bad  environments  they  would  have  tested 
higher.  Nevertheless,  it  is  significant  that  extreme  dissipation  in  some 
cases  did  not  affect  the  intelligence  appreciably. 

One  of  the  unexpected  developments  of  the  tests  was  to  find  that 
long  jobs  are  correlated  with  low  tests,  rather  than  long  jobs  with 
high  tests.  In  connection  with  this  fact  it  is  well  to  note  the  gen- 
eral attitude  of  those  who  tested  low  compared  with  that  of  those  who 


Unemployment  and  Feeble-Mindedness  69 

tested  high.  As  a  rule,  those  who  tested  low  were  plodders  and  did 
not  seem  to  grow  impatient  with  the  tasks  given  them.  On  the  other 
hand,  those  who  tested  high  were  more  or  less  flighty  and  would  be 
satisfied  with  an  approximate  answer.  Herein  may  lie  the  reason 
why  the  less  intelligent  can  hold  their  positions  for  a  long  period  of 
time.  They  work  steadily  without  becoming  impatient.  It  is  diflB- 
cult  to  arouse  antagonism  in  them.  Thus,  by  becoming  used  to  some 
when  he  hires  them  for  simple  work.  The  restless  ones  who,  as  a  rule, 
given  task,  they  get  the  routine  habit  and  can  please  the  employer 
pass  the  higher  tests,  are  more  apt  to  be  provoked  to  rashness  or  dis- 
content, and  as  a  consequence  more  liable  to  resign  a  position  or  look 
for  a  change.  Even  those  who  were  lowest  in  the  tests  held  long  jobs. 
Of  24  who  passed  the  lowest  tests,  10  held  short  jobs  only,  whereas  14 
held  at  least  one  long  job,  recently.  However,  when  those  who  tested 
low  did  lose  their  jobs  they  were  often  idle  six  months  or  more  before 
they  were  able  to  get  other  jobs. 

I  have  stated  that  25  to  50  per  cent  of  all  prostitutes  are  feeble- 
minded or  mentally  defective.  The  Portland  Vice  Commission  reported 
the  number  of  this  class  in  Portland  to  be  2,500.  If  the  general  ratio 
of  mental  defectiveness  holds,  there  are  from  625  to  1.250  mentally 
defective  women  among  them.  The  assumption  was  then  made  that 
there  should  be,  biologically  speaking,  at  least  the  same  number  among 
the  men  of  the  same  population.  The  probable  group  among  whom  they 
would  be  found  would  be  the  destitute  unemployed  men.  Now,  let  us 
see  what  light  the  tests  on  the  107  men  will  throw  on  the  probable  num- 
ber of  mentally  defective  men  in  Portland.  Nineteen  men  or 
18  per  cent  of  the  107,  tested  under  twelve  years  mental  age. 
The  known  destitute  unemployed  men  on  April  15,  1915,  was 
3,600.  If  18  per  cent  were  mentally  defective,  then  there 
were  in  Portland  about  600  unemployed  defective  men.  This  is  approxi- 
mately the  number  equal  to  the  minimum  estimate  of  the  feeble-minded 
prostitutes  in  Portland.  If  those  under  thirteen  years  mental  age  are 
considered  feeble-minded,  then  there  were  28  men  or  26  per  cent  of 
those  tested  who  were  feeble-minded, — or  at  least  mentally  backward. 
If  the  ratio  holds  good  for  the  3,600  destitute  men,  then  there  were 
about  900  out  of  the  known  total  who  were  feeble-minded.  This  is 
less  than  the  maximum  estimated.  If  we  take  the  maximum  estimate 
of  unemployed  and  the  minumum  estimated  percentage  of  feeble-raind- 
edness  we  have  about  1,800  feeble-minded.    If  26  per  cent  of  the  maxi- 


70  The  Journal  of   Delinquency 

uiurn  were  rccljlc-niindod  llicn  tliore  were  2,600  mentally  defective  men 
12  years  in  inttlli^ciict',  Imt  there  were  three  out  of  tlu;  nine  in  the 
l2-3'ear-a^(!  k'<'"I'  ^\1'^>  were  i'echlc-niinded  and  ahsolutely  unable  to 
manage  tlieir  own  afl'airs  with  ordinary  prudence.  This  would  make 
a  total  of  22,  or  21  per  cent  of  the  107  men  tested.  If  tliis  percentage 
holds  good  for  the  .'{.OOO  known  dostitute  unemployed  men,  then  there 
were  in  Portland  about  700  mentally  defective  men  who  were  unem- 
ployed. If  21  per  cent  of  the  maximum  (10,000)  were  aefective,  then 
there  were  2,100.  Since  a  large  number  of  the  10,000  destitute  unem- 
ployed men  were  transients,  there  would  be  a  considerable  less  num- 
ber than  2,100  in  Portland  at  any  one  time  who  were  feeble-minded. 
Still,  when  it  is  remembered  that  those  who  made  the  Portland  school 
survey  stated  that  there  were  2  per  cent  of  the  school  population  who 
were  mentally  backward  and  1  per  cent  who  were  mentally  defective, 
the  maximum  estimate  I  have  made  does  not  seem  too  large.  If  2  9^  of 
the  school  children  were  mentally  backward,  and  one  per  cent  feeble- 
minded, then  there  were  in  the  city  schools  600  who  were  backward 
and  300  who  were  defective.  If  this  same  ratio  holds  good  for  the 
whole  population  of  the  city  then  there  were  5,000  mentally  backward, 
2,500  of  whom  were  defective. 

Professor  Terraan,  referring  to  the  tests  which  we  have  used  in 
our  tests  of  the  unemployed  says: — "I  am  led  to  think  that  what  we 
have  regarded  as  the  average  adult  intelligence,  namely,  the  sixteen- 
year  level,  will  really  turn  out  to  be  the  average  for  ordinary  adults; 
that  what  we  have  termed  superior  adult  intelligence  will  only  be 
found  among  adults  who  are  decidedly  superior  in  ability ;  and  that  the 
fourteen-year  level  may  reasonably  be  called  the  low  adult  average.  I 
think  a  majority  of  the  people  who  test  between  thirteen,  and,  say 
fourteen  and  one-half  and  fifteen,  are  decidedly  dull,  but  by  no  means 
necessarily  dull  enough  to  be  considered  by  other  people  as  feeble- 
minded. Even  twelve-year  intelligence,  I  think,  can  make  fairly  good 
success  in  life,  provided  it  is  backed  up  by  honesty,  industry,  and  a 
reasonably  agreeable  personality." 

Professor  Terman  says  further:  "Our  recent  tests  of  adults  indi- 
cate that  average  intelligent,  but  ordinarily  successful  men  test  about 
sixteen  years,  at  least  we  found  that  half  tested  between  fifteen  and 
seventeen;  one-fourth  between  seventeen  and  nineteen;  and  one-fourth 
between  thirteen  and  one-half  and  fifteen.  One  tested  only  slightly 
above  twelve." 


Unemployment  and  Feeble-Mindedness  71 

Thus  Professor  Terman  in  his  tests  of  the  ordinarily  successful 
men,  found  only  one  who  tested  less  than  thirteen,  whereas  we  found 
28  out  of  107  unemployed  in  Portland  who  tested  less  than  thirteen 
years  by  the  same  tests.  A  good  indication  that  most  of  these  28  men 
are  feeble-minded  is  brought  out  by  the  school  records  made  by  the  sub- 
jects as  shown  by  the  questionnaire.  One  man  started  to  school  when 
he  was  six  and  quit  in  the  fifth  grade  when  he  was  20  years  old.  An- 
other man  entered  school  when  he  was  seven  years  old,  attended  con- 
stantly until  he  was  14,  quitting  school  when  he  was  in  the  third  grade. 
Another  man  went  to  school  until  he  was  eighteen  years  old.  By  that 
time  he  was  in  the  low  sixth.  Another  man  went  to  school  until  he  was 
seventeen,  reaching  the  fourth  grade.  Several  others  had  similar  school 
experiences. 

An  incident  showing  the  ability  of  one  who  passed  a  very  low  test 
is  the  following :  Mr.  Manning,  general  secretary  of  the  Associated 
Charities,  of  Portland,  sent  S.  on  an  errand.  He  gave  S.  a  note  to  the 
proprietor  of  a  certain  bakery,  who  was  to  give  a  sack  of  bread  for 
charitable  purposes.  S.  was  given  a  large  sack  and  ten  cents  for  car- 
fare. S.  after  he  had  been  given  explicit  directions,  departed,  returning 
an  hour  late.  Instead  of  doing  as  he  was  told  to  do,  he  walked  to  the 
bakery,  spent  the  carfare  for  two  loaves  of  bread,  put  the  bread  in  the 
sack,  and  without  presenting  the  note  returned  to  Mr.  Manning's  of- 
fice. In  spite  of  this  man's  mental  defectiveness,  he  has  performed 
simple  tasks  such  as  feeding  stock.  To  observe  this  man,  as  well  as 
several  others,  who  tested  low,  one  would  not  have  suspicions  at  once 
that  he  was  feeble-minded.  This  man  told  me  he  did  not  speak  a  single 
word  until  he  was  over  six  years  old. 

On  the  other  hand  there  were  many  men  who  were  as  brilliant  as 
the  most  intelligent  highly  educated  men.  This  was  true  especially  of 
certain  men  who  stayed  at  the  Unemployment  Union.  A  large  per- 
centage of  the  men  staying  at  this  place  were  members  of  the  I.  W. 
W.  organization. 

SUMMARY  AND  CONCLUSIONS 

I.  Feeble-mindedness  is  an  important  phase  of  the  unemploy- 
ment problem  as  it  exists  on  the  Pacific  Coast.  About  21  per 
cent  of  the  destitute  unemployed  men  are  feeble-minded  (high-grad« 
morons). 


TZ  The  Journal  of   Delinquency 

II.  Organized  charity  cared  for  a  larger  proportion  of  feeble- 
minded than  (lid  tlie  municipal  lodging  houses. 

III.  There  is  a  iiigh  correlation  between  the  size  of  the  vocabulary 
and  the  degree  of  int(diigence. 

IV.  As  a  rule,  the  unemployed  men  who  were  above  the  average 
in  intelligenee  had  good  logical  memory.  Reed  Coll<!ge  students  were 
far  superior  to  the  unemi)Ioyed  men  in  logical  memory. 

V.  Jobs  requiring  high  intelligence  are  associated  with  high  in- 
telligence according  to  the  tests  used. 

VI.  There  is  little  relation  between  the  amount  of  education  and 
the  excellence  of  intelligence  of  the  men  examined.  The  correlation  ob- 
tained is  too  low  to  be  significant.  When  the  feeble-minded  men  are 
eliminated  from  consideration  the  correlation  drops  to  zero.  This  is  a 
strong  indication  that  the  Stanford  Revision  of  the  Binet-Simon  Scale 
is  a  good  measure  of  natural  intelligence.  If  the  correTation  had  been 
high,  the  indication  would  be  that  the  tests  measure  nurture  rather 
than  nature. 

VII.  There  is  little  or  no  relation  between  the  degree  of  suggesti- 
bility and  the  intelligence  level. 

VIII.  There  was  little  relation  between  good  attention  and  good 
mental  tests.  The  coefficient  of  correlation  is  too  small  to  be  signifi- 
cant. 

IX.  There  was  no  relation  between  wildness  in  youth  and  intelli- 
gence. The  men  having  roving  dispositions  when  boys  were  as  intelli- 
gent as  those  wiio  were  inclined  to  remain  at  home. 

X.  Extreme  dissipation  did  not  seem  to  affect  the  intelligence 
level  of  some  men.  In  spite  of  much  dissipation  some  men  passed  super- 
ior adult  tests. 

XI.  Taken  as  a  group  the  destitute  unemployed  men  were  much 
inferior  mentally  to  a  group  of  ordinarily  successful  men.  The  modal 
intelligence  level  of  the  unemployed  was  in  the  13-  and  l-I-year  age 
groups.  The  modal  for  a  group  of  62  adults,  including  30  business  men 
and  32  high  school  pupils  (tested  by  Lewis  M.  Terman)*  over  16  years 
of  age,  lay  between  the  mental  ages  of  15  and  17  years.  Nevertheless, 
there  was  a  larger  percentage  of  superior  adults  among  the  unemployed 
than  among  the  business  men  and  high  school  students.    Although  no 


•Lewis  M.  Terman  —  The  Measurement  of  Intelligence.  1916. 


Unemployment  and  Feeble-Mindedness 


73 


one  of  the  62  men  tested  by  Professor  Terman  had  a  mental  level  under 
13  years,  there  were  28  unemployed  men  or  26  per  cent  of  the  total  who 
fell  under  13  years  mental  age.  Thus  unemployment  is  a  problem  af- 
fecting both  mentally  deficient  and  mentally  superior  iv,en. 

XII.  The  number  of  men  examined  in  this  study  is  too  few  to 
make  extensive  generalizations.  Further  study  should  be  made.  The 
generalizations  which  have  been  made  in  this  paper  relate  to  the  unem- 
ployment problem  as  it  exists  in  Portland,  Oregon,  and  probably  the 
Pacific  Coast.  Similar  studies  made  by  Professor  Lewis  i\I.  Terman, 
Dr.  J.  Harold  Williams,  and  Mr.  H.  E.  Knollin  tend  to  parallel  the 
findings  of  the  study  presented  in  this  paper.* 


I 

2 

-_ 

- 

3 

-n 

- 

Johnson,  Glenn   R. :    Distribution    of  Mental  Ages  of  107  Unem- 
ployed Men  at  Portland,  Oregon. 


NOTE  —  Since  this  study  was  made,  the  Stanford  Revision  of  the  Binet  Scale 
has  been  altered  slightly.  The  latest  revision  yields  somewhat  lower  mental  ages 
from  nine  and  ten  years  up. 


S112 


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